1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a mechanism for facilitating the opening and closing of a tent, and more particularly to a hub or roof connecting mechanism of a foldable tent.
2. Description of Prior Art
Hubs or roof connecting mechanisms of foldable tents are often used for pivotally connecting tent poles to a central location so that the tent would be able to have a foldable function.
Roof connecting mechanisms or hubs in the conventional bell tents are only provided for purposes of connecting components of the tent such as roof strut rods or poles. In other words, those parts require assembly and disassembly when the tent is pitched and stored away, respectively.
In larger conventional tents, the roof connecting mechanism or hub is kept in hinge connection with the roof strut rods or poles such that when the tent is folded, all of the roof strut rods or poles centrally pivot around the hub and are bent down so that the poles are gathered closely together. However, the larger conventional tents also require that the poles be further supported by sub-braces which connect from the poles to a downward extended portion of the hub. As a result, not only do the connecting mechanisms of the sub-braces become intricate but the overall structure of the tent framework becomes complicated. Moreover, the volume of the tent is larger due to the number of the components of the hub assembly, and opening and closing the tent becomes more difficult.